


A slight drizzle

by noseandfeetarerunning



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Astraphobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stubborn tyler, Thunderstorms, but love each other, they argue a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 18:44:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12041961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noseandfeetarerunning/pseuds/noseandfeetarerunning
Summary: "Just stick with me, I'm the shortest thing around."Tyler has an irrational fear of thunderstorms and Josh helps him get over it, even if the boy frustrates him to no end.





	A slight drizzle

"Tyler, you can't just… _sit there_ " Josh says, arms crossed in front of the TV.

"I can. And I will. Now move, you're blocking me." Josh unplugs the TV.

"Hey! I was watching that!"

Josh sighs, clenching his jaw.

"I know you're afraid but we can't avoid this forever." Tyler glares at him. Even snuggled in a blanket with a lapful of popcorn, the look still sent its desired message.

"Oh! So you think that you're _better_  than me now that you've swam with those goddamned sharks." Tyler scowls and Josh tries not to think how much he resents this side of his bestfriend. Fear changes people.

"I didn't even say that! I just-" Josh takes a deep breath to calm himself. "I just think we should get over this fear."

"I'm perfectly fine with cuddling you whenever it rains. And I know you don't mind it either." Josh blushes lightly. Has he been that obvious?

Tyler huffs stubbornly, fiddling with his phone. He wears an indifferent expression until a clap of thunder resounds and he breaks, sinking further into the couch, lip quivering and eyes clamped shut. He's still huffing though, more so at the storm now than Josh.

Josh's gaze softens and he reaches behind Tyler's right ear, lightly pressing his thumb into the hollow pressure point. Tyler relaxes into his touch, shivering.

"Hey… I'm sorry. I shouldn't be forcing you into anything. It's just-" Josh sits next to him, bringing Tyler's head into chest. "What if I'm not around one day. I can't stand the thought of you scared and alone."

Tyler buries himself further into Josh's embrace, trembling. A shock of lightning strikes the ground somewhere far off and Josh cups his hands over Tyler's ears to protect him from the thunder. He counts 7 Mississippi before it hits. Tyler jumps anyway.

"Wanna go to bed?" He asks, working the knots out of Tyler's neck.

Tyler shakes his head, bringing his legs over Josh's own. He flings the blanket over both of them abandoning the popcorn.

"Don't wanna move…" Tyler's muffled voice comes from beneath the covers.

"But a moving target is harder to hit." Josh jokes. "It'll be harder for lightning to strike you." He chuckles.

Tyler whimpers at the thought and Josh stops laughing.

"Sorry... inappropriate." He cringes. "How 'bout I carry you in?"

Tyler nods slowly beneath the heap of fabric and Josh rolls his eyes. Lazy. He throws the sleepy boy over his shoulder who lets out a yelp at the sudden movement. He walks to the bedroom and plomps Tyler on the bed, tucking him in and switching the lights off.

Josh walks over to the curtains and closes them shut, before running a hand through Tyler's fluffy hair, matted with sweat. Not any less beautiful, he thinks.

He kisses the shivering boy's forehead before turning to leave the room. A hand catches his wrist.

"Stay?" Tyler peeks from over the blankets, eyes wide and wet with unshed tears.

"Of course." Josh replies softly, immediately taking off his shirt and slipping under the covers next to Tyler.

He sidles up to the boy who starts sobbing, broken little sounds that Josh wouldn't have heard from his room, his heart aches at the thought of that.

"Tyler…"

"I'm scared Josh. Why does it have to rain the day I visit you?"

Josh frowns scooping the sobbing boy in his arms.

"Maybe it's an omen. Maybe it's nothing. But Tyler… please stop crying, I hate seeing you like this." Tyler tries to silent his cries and takes a deep, shaky breath. He does it a few times until he's calmed down.

Josh pats his hair, rambling to keep Tyler distracted from the rain. "It's kinda ironic, really, raining from your eyes because of the rain."

Tyler sniffles and smiles.

"And they say I'm the poetic one."

 

* * *

 

Josh wakes to an empty bed, apparently having fallen asleep while waiting for Tyler to do so first. It was still raining outside, thunder grumbling incessantly now, a bolt of lightning lighting up the sky.

Josh glances at the digital clock. 4 a.m. He furrows his eyebrows.  _Where's Tyler?_

He pads to the the bathroom, peeking to see if the boy was peeing in the dark. Nope.

He continues to the kitchen and realises none of the lights are switched on. Huh.

"Tyler?" He calls from the living room, spinning aimlessly in the dark. The drowsiness of sleep slowly evolving into panic.

"Tyler?" He repeats louder. He strains his ears for a reply and hurries back to the bedroom to grab his phone when he hears nothing. Tyler's not in the house, and Josh knows that the boy wouldn't be bold enough to step outside alone.

No messages. No calls. Nothing. His eyes focus behind the screen and notices the bare bedside table.

Tyler wouldn't be able to take his phone if he were kidnapped, right?

He knows the number by heart and prays that Tyler, anyone, answers. It doesn't even connect.

"Shit." He curses, trying the number again, pacing all over the house.

There's a sudden bang at the door and Josh is embarrassed to admit he stumbles over his own two feet before rushing to the peephole.

He sees the same empty street he sees everyday but refuses to believe his mind made the sound up. He cautiously unlocks the door to find a sobbing Tyler at his feet.

He collapses to his knees, instictively wrapping his arms around the boy.

Tyler is gasping and clawing and chanting Josh's name over and over, eyes manic. Josh hums into his neck, soothing the boy with gentle carresses to his forehead, ears, neck. Anywhere.

The sight alone brings Josh to the verge of tears, but the broken sounds the boy lets out tip him over the edge. He blinks the tears away. As much as it's heartbreaking, it won't improve the situation.

Tyler sobs into his bare shoulder, both still in between the doorframe. Josh lets the drenched boy slump against him in between his legs, right hand carding through the wet mop of hair and left arm around his waist. He whispers reassuring words into the boy's ear. He's not sure if it works or if Tyler's calming himself down.

Once Tyler's breathing has evened out and his eyes start to droop, Josh lifts him carefully and carries him to the bedroom, laying him down on the bed they were asleep in just a few hours ago.

Josh pulls Tyler's sweatpants off with relative ease, they were already halfway down his butt from the added weight of rainwater, but has some trouble taking the shirt off without waking the boy up.

"Tyler, hey, I just need you to-" He whispers and slips an open palm under the boy's back. "Just like that. Mhmm" He gently lifts Tyler's upper body while tugging the shirt of with his other hand. Tyler mumbles something.

"What was that?" Josh asks, distracted. He's dreamt of this moment many times, stripping the singer in the dark. It usually led to more than just snoozing.

"Mmm rice." Tyler groans out. Josh doesn't understand how he could possibly be thinking about food at this point in time, but decides to entertain the grumpy boy anyway. He grabs a towel from the bathroom.

"I'll make you some rice tomorrow ok?" He chuckles out. Drying the boy off. Josh eyes Tyler's soggy underwear and blushes at the thought of having to take them off.

Tyler smacks his lips, brows furrowed.

"Now." He whines, hand reaching towards Josh's and oh.  _Oh._

Josh pries the phone from Tyler's grip, placing it on the bedside table. Half of him thinks it's a good idea to take those damp undies off, but the other half thinks he just wants Tyler naked. He leaves it. And brings the hairdryer instead, he doesn't know if it'll work, but it's worth a shot.

The sound bothers Tyler for about two seconds before he's grinning contentedly at the warm air gushing over him. Josh runs it over his hair, underwear and the sheets intermittently before shutting it off and tossing the covers over the boy once he's dry. Tyler's already releasing light snores.

He sits by the edge of the bed and stares at the figure under the blankets, so small yet so _infuriating_. He shakes his head. Now that the worst is over, Josh finally turns his mind back on, thoughts overflowing.  _What the fuck was Tyler thinking?_

And he knows he worries too much, but he worries more. What if he hadn't woken up? Would Tyler be able to deal with it on his own?

He grabs the phone from the nightstand, scoffing. Tyler comes back crying and has Josh worrying incessantly over his wellbeing, but the only thing he wants Josh to do is salvage his phone? He can't help but scowl at that. Typical Tyler.

He does it anyway, finds a ziplock, rice, and buries the phone deep in there, praying for that kinda bullshit hack to work.

He's hoping Tyler's invitation has been extended, but finds the boy splayed out across the entire bed.

The guestroom it is.

 

* * *

 

Josh wakes, once again, a warm body pressed up against him this time. His mind isn't awake, but the words were thought the night before.

"What the fuck man." He rasps out groggily, eyes still shut.

Tyler mumbles incoherently, face buried in a pillow.

"Don wanna tal abou ih." He grumbles, slipping back into his slumber.

"Oh but _I_ do." Josh states firmly. Tyler turns away from him and folds the pillow over his head, covering both his ears.

"What were you thinking Ty? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Tyler mumbles something muffled by the pillow but Josh knows him well enough to recognise his heavy breathing as a sign of Tyler trying to keep himself from crying.

Josh sighs and places a hand against his bare shoulder blades. Tyler cracks.

"I'm sorry." He rushes out, arms by his side but still facing the other way. "I just- you said it would make me feel better! I was just so tired of being afraid." His voice softens and Josh grabs his arm, gently turning him around.

"Tyler… that's not what I meant, and you know it." He hugs the boy anyway. "But it doesn't matter now, you're here."

"I'm sorry." He chokes out. Josh sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Do you wanna tell me about it? It could make you feel better."

Tyler peels himself from Josh, just enough for room to speak. "I mean-. It- it was terrifying. I thought it would get better the longer I walked, but it got worse. And then there was this _thunder_. It was so loud. _Deafening_. I was frozen. I couldn't move."

Josh sinks at the recount. "What made you come back?"

Tyler swallows, eyes still downcast. He mumbles a single syllable.

"What?" Josh asks, even though he caught it. He doesn't want to get his hopes up, but a smile is already creeping it's way up his face.

"You!" Tyler emphasises louder, indignant. "Youyouyouyouyou. Happy?"

Josh has the widest grin on his face.

"Extremely."

Tyler rolls his eyes and finally meets his gaze, blushing. He fiddles with the loose thread from the blanket covering the both of them and Josh feels the emptiness of not staring into those two brown irises for the rest of his life.

"Why'd you think I was so disappointed when it rained, it totally ruined our TylerandJosh time." Tyler frowns, obviously disappointed, but takes his frustration out on the disintegrating blanket. Josh doesn't think his smile can get any larger, but it does.

He places a hand under Tyler's chin, lifting his head gently so that he can see those warm brown orbs one more time.

"I don't think it's ruined, I mean, if you didn't go out there we wouldn't be here now." Tyler rolls his eyes again.

"You're so cliche. Yeah we wouldn't be here on your crappy guestroom bed. We'd be on the _nice_  bed and I wouldn't have been scared half to death last night." Josh pouts. He thought he was pretty smooth.

"Besides, I was gonna fess up over this weekend anyway. The storm just made my nerves go haywire, if anything." He mumbles the last part, fiddling with the stray thread again.

Josh shakes his head in faux exasperation. "I'm just trying to make you feel better, but your pragmatism is ruining it." Tyler is slient for a moment.

"I've got my mind on _other_ ways to make me feel better."

It's quite amazing how Josh is watching the same boy who was cowering from the storm just moments ago. He likes where this is going nonetheless. "Yeah, like what?"

Tyler glances at his face, eyes hooded. He licks his lips.

"Well... I was think-" Josh goes in for the kill, pressing his lips against Tyler's and successfully cutting him off.

Tyler sputters and pushes him away. Josh tries his damned best not to, but his face falls, his anxiety flaring up. Was that not what Tyler was insinuating?

"I was talking about pancakes!" Tyler's eyes are wide, but the usual flush of his cheeks is absent. One look at the hurt on Josh's face and his lips are right back where they belong.

"I was kidding." Tyler mumbles against Josh's morning breath. The older boy sighs into his mouth, lips working against his.

"You shouldn't joke about stuff like that." Josh huffs, but continues kissing Tyler breathless.

"I can do whatever I want." He retorts. And _why-_. Josh detaches his lips from the now frowning boy.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn. God. You totally ruined the moment." Tyler's pout gets heavier as he tries to go back to kissing.

Josh dodges all his advances, although it was extremely tempting to just give in. He had a point to prove.

"Why won't you let me kiss you!" Tyler shouts throwing his arms around.

"Because you can't do whatever you want." Josh grins knowingly and he can almost feel the anger rolling of Tyler in waves.

"Why do you have to be such a smartass?" Tyler is on the verge of screaming in frustration, Josh can sense it.

Josh's jaw drops. " _I'm_ the smartass?"

"Yeah!" Tyler's annoyed at his teasing, but Josh gets a kick out of the feisty version of his bestfriend (boyfriend?).

Josh doesn't respond, just stares indignantly at the singer, challenging him to make the first move. Tyler stares right back.

They attack each other in another blistering kiss, but Josh swears Tyler moved first. _Ha!_

"We. Should. Stop." Tyler says between kisses before breaking it off, Josh chases his lips, not listening. "My flight's tomorrow and I wanna do actual stuff with you."

Josh connects their lips again, not enough, never enough.

"Just, stay? Your phone's in the rice and that takes like, 5 days." He nibbles on Tyler's bottom lip, but the boy is having none of that. He separates himself from Josh, sitting up.

"Ok. First off, it's 3 days. Second, I can just take the bag of rice back to Columbus." And, _God_ , Josh _knows_. Aren't couples _supposed_ to make the dumbest excuses just to stay with each other longer?

"You're such a dumbass. You're lucky I love you." Tyler continues and Josh decides not to bring up his perfectly logical reasoning.

"If that's the case, you're lucky I love you too." The smile that takes over Tyler's face is worth losing  _all arguments ever for the rest of his life._

But hell if he's telling Tyler that.

**Author's Note:**

> One more chapter, Tyler actually has to get over his fear.


End file.
